Easy Steps On How To Maintain and Clean Your A/C Unit

When the temperatures start to rise in the great outdoors, you’ll be clambering to fire up your RV’s air conditioner, especially if the campground you’re in doesn’t charge extra for electricity! Just like everything else in your RV, your A/C unit(s) need regular checkups and maintenance to ensure that they’re in proper working order and are free of damage or malfunctions! Follow these easy steps on how to maintain and clean your A/C unit and you’ll always have that appreciated blast of icy air when it gets hot out!

The Exterior

Check the Plastic Cover

First, make sure to check the overall appearance of the A/C unit’s cover (also called a shroud). The shroud helps to keep rain, snow, and other moisture from penetrating the inside of the A/C, as well as your RV’s interior! This shroud should be free from cracks, and take a look to see if there is any discoloration or weathering. Damage from the sun’s UV rays can weaken the plastic and make it more susceptible to breakage. If you find any cracks or discoloration, get a replacement cover to keep your A/C protected!

Check the Seals Around the Unit

Just like the other seals on the exterior of your RV, you’ll want to check the seals and gaskets around your RV’s A/C unit. Look closely for any cracks or breaks in the seams, as even a tiny hole can cause devastating water damage in the interior of your RV.

Clean Under the Cover

Remove the cover, clean any components that need it, and carefully straighten any fins that are bent out of place. Use a soft bristle brush to gently clean the condenser coils, and use the bush to straighten fins if necessary. Or use something a little more stiff if the brush doesn’t work. Just be sure not to overdo it, because damaging a condenser tube is bad news!

The Interior

Clean Under the Shroud

Remove the plastic shroud off the interior of the unit and give the interior of the unit a good cleaning. There will be one or two foam filters, which can be removed and cleaned with hot soapy water. After that, use a vacuum to clean out the ductwork to get rid of dust and other debris.

Load Sharing

If your RV has more than one A/C unit, you’ll want to regularly check that the units are load sharing properly. When two air conditioners run on 30 amp power, they should never run at the same time. To ensure that the power is distributed evenly, ensure that one A/C unit doesn’t kick on until the other has shut off.

Things To Remember

Watch the Power Output

Most air conditioners are meant to work on 30 amp service, so if you’re reducing it down to 15, it’s a pretty surefire way to drastically shorten the life of your RV’s A/C unit! Something called a “brown out” can occur when there isn’t sufficient power being supplied, which will cause the unit to essentially destroy itself. And when that happens, there typically is no coming back from that. Get ready to shell out thousands of dollars for a new unit!

Check Units Often

Before you head out camping for the season, completely check our RV’s A/C units to ensure they they are clean, free of damage, and putting out the proper amount of cold air. As with most components of your RV, you’ll want to check your A/C units at least once a year, but it’s not a bad idea to check your RV at the end of the season too if you aren’t full-timing, just to ensure that the unit didn’t sustain any damage during your travels.

What do you think? Is cleaning and maintaining your A/C unit an easy enough task for you, or is it quite the pain? If you just don’t want to face inspecting your RV’s air conditioner yourself, bring your RV down to National RV in Belleville, MI, and we’ll take a look at it for you! Our team of expert RV technicians can clean up your A/C, repair any damage, and have it running like new before the summer heat sets in!

If you’re looking to upgrade to a model with even more cooling capabilities, we have a massive selection of RVs for sale near Detroit with either two A/C units or prep for a second! Stop by your favorite RV dealer in Michigan, National RV, and save thousands and a new or used RV today!